I am excited to start a new bullet journal for all of my adventures ~
Are you familiar with the Bullet Journal? The Bullet Journal is a totally customizable organization system that adapts to your needs. It is modular by design and comprised of interchangeable methods that help you quickly capture and organize information. The four key concepts lay the foundation and they are: Rapid Logging, Collections, Migration and Indexing.
How do you stay organized, keep your adventures in order and track your goals? Do you keep your thoughts in your computer? Do you have one notebook? Several notebooks?
The bullet journal is also known as #BuJo and is associated with a multitude of other hashtags on Instagram. I learned about it last year, but I was spinning in so many directions I couldn’t sit down and get an idea how this new way of logging my info would work for me.
Bullet Journal vs Digital
I initially thought this new system would be too much work, too time consuming, too artistic, too… something. I wanted to try bullet journaling because I loved the idea of keeping my collection of thoughts, ideas, to-dos and goals, all in one spot. My computer keeps my calendar, I have a journal for my reading log, quotes and notes, plus a handful of other colorful journals that I have started through the years. I really needed just one, centrally located place to funnel all of my personal info in one spot.
Additionally, this system makes you recopy things each month on certain pages and I like that because I am a firm believer that if you write it down, you will commit it to memory easier. It will show you too that if you keep moving the same task from month to month and don’t take action, perhaps this is not a meaningful task or goal.
You can study the bullet journal website to get an idea of how it all works. It took me a few passes to understand it exactly. This may appeal to you, this may not. A couple of years ago I went all digital with my calendar. I still have about 8 years of paper day-timer calendars that I have kept in a drawer from when the kids were in school. Why did I keep them? I felt like it was a record of each detail of my world for that year. It logged what the kids were doing, who I was seeing, where we were going and sometimes what I was thinking. Somehow I felt that if I kept them, the memories would be more clear.
It was fun to go back and see how ridiculously busy we were! It also helped me plan and gauge activities for the following year.
Fast forward to my empty nest and my current calendar/record/goal/task keeping. Our current crazy life isn’t busy any longer because of the kids and their activities, it is all because of what WE have planned. I believe that Craig and I are so accustomed to living in the fast lane, that we continued this philosophy even after the kids have moved out!
We pack a great deal into one year though! We manage to experience adventures galore and for now we really embrace this lifestyle! One of my favorite times in the month is when we sit down to “do our calendars”. We sync our personal activities with each other’s and make our joint travel plans around his business travel plans. We mix in the visits with our kids and other adventures we have been dying to go on!
The empty nester life can be very fulfilling!
An empty nest need not feel empty. Although our children are out on their own, living productive, happy lives, our jobs as parents are not over. They both consult us a lot about important issues in their worlds. They may ask for advice, but mostly they are looking for a mature sounding board. Obviously we didn’t get where we are without many challenges as well triumphs. Alex and Nick are both savvy enough to know that we may even have the answers to their questions!
We have shifted our primary focus off of the children and turned it toward ourselves. It takes time to adjust, but I think we are mastering this empty nester existence. Yes the house is much, much quieter, but that just allows for more uninterrupted reading and personal projects that have been left on the back burner for years.
Back to the Bullet Journal ~
I remember how tactile and comforting it was to have my daily calendars handwritten on paper notebooks. Although I do love my electronic calendars (which I will still have for general dates) I am happy to try this new approach. The world is moving so rapidly and everything is now “in the cloud” that it all feels less personal. If I am hand writing my daily tasks and hand writing my personal/business goals, perhaps I will feel even more connected.
Change can be challenging and sometimes it slows us down, but change can also be a chance to develop in ways we could have never ever imagined!
I will check in with you in a few months to give you some feedback. Do you use a Bullet Journal? This idea is so red-hot right now that you can find thousands of you tube videos and countless Instagram accounts devoted to people sharing their thoughts and creative ways to enhance their bullet journals. Google it, it will amaze you.
Suzanne
This is awesome, Suzanne! There’s something really special about physically writing out things that we do. Looking forward to hearing how it’s going throughout the year! 😉
Thanks Kim – You are a highly organized person! I appreciate your enthusiasm!
I, too, became intrigued with this idea and looked at it extensively last year. I decided to go with my preferred grid-lined spiral notebook and multi-colored Flair Pen process. Same same, but different. Old school with a twist is comforting. Fun!
Betsy, it sounds like you have a great system already in place. Thanks for sharing.
I am a journal addict! To that end I have notebooks in my train bag, work bag, purse, and at least 6 on my desk, all with various notes etc.
Will have to check this out. I miss the good old hallmark purse calendar. So handy.
Now I keep all dates on my phone and then hope to transcribe them to the fridge calendar for an easy reminder.
Can’t wait to hear how the Bullet works for you.
Ps-your ‘practice’ doodles are hilarious! You are a spontaneous doodle over-achiever!!
So Laura, you have a stack of journals and notebooks too? That is comforting to hear. I never know what info is in what book! So maybe the bullet journal will help. Yes – It is true I am a high achieving doodler!